Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a multi-fiber optical connector.
Related Art
Telecommunications and data centers require increasing data processing speeds and performance characteristics. Multi-fiber optical connectors are known for telecommunications and data center applications. Such connectors are based on the well-known, standard MT ferrule, which can house anywhere from a single optical fiber to several dozen optical fibers. Connectors using the MT ferrule, such as the MPO and MTP, are typically mounted to the fiber cables in a factory setting. MTP® is a registered mark of US Conec Ltd.
Example multi-fiber connectors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,082,346 and 6,474,878.
A field mount (or field mountable) MPO connector is commercially available, known as the Unicam MTP connector, from Corning Inc. See also U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,780.
But such field mount connectors can require significant training and costs, as installation processes (e.g., polishing, alignment) for such multi-fiber connectors are challenging.